April probably won't be the month, after all, when a final pavement overlay allows the new I-25 traffic lanes between Fillmore Street and Garden of the Gods Road to
be used by the driving public.
“We're watching the weather on a daily basis to see if we can get multiple nights of warm weather,” said Bill Badger of Rockrimmon Constructors, which is the
contractor for the interstate widening project known as COSMIX.
However, he said, what contractors need is “three nights in a row of 45 degrees or warmer (to ensure that the paving material adheres), and it has to be guaranteed.”
With no such weather on the horizon, he said it may not be until June before the final overlay tying together the new and old lanes can be applied. In the meantime, the
third lane in each direction - completed on either side of the median last November by Rockrimmon Constructors - remains closed off.
Last November, Rockrimmon Constructors had been hopeful that the overlay could occur this April. The work cannot take place in daytime because of project
requirements stating that lanes can only be closed at night, except in emergencies or special circumstances.